Save budget by running smaller print ads…but at what cost?

Print advertising delivers higher brand impact and brand awareness than other media, including digital.

How?

By forging a personal, emotional connection with the reader that leaves a lasting impression.

In virtually all sectors, brands that use print advertising as part of an integrated campaign enjoy greater buyer confidence than those that don’t.

While print ads communicate a commitment to the long game, when business falters, managers feel the squeeze to tighten their belts.

They ask, ‘What happens if we downsize the ad space from full-page to half-page ads?’

Answering ‘It’s uncertain’ doesn’t cut it. Numbers are the currency of assurance.

Savings are evident—scaling down from full to half page reaps around 40% – 45% reduction in space cost.

Notice, it’s never an exact half!

Savings sorted! What about brand engagement?

This is where the puzzle deepens and experienced Account Directors chime in.

Alternatively, drawing on years of direct response marketing expertise, consider a research study on off-the-page advertising response rates.

Provoking a behavioural response, whether that’s heightened awareness, information requests, or ideally both, is the essence of advertising.

As a result, it makes sense to consider the relationship between reducing the print page ad size and off-the page response rates. It emerges as a simple yet insightful gauge of campaign performance.

This research,* conducted by Strong in 1914 (yes, 109 years ago!) remains relevant today!

Methodology: Using the same copy, in the same place, and with the same title; only the ad size varies. Indexing a page at 100, the following response results were obtained:

Full Page –      100

Half Page –       68

Qtr. Page –       49

D.P. Spread – 141

Cutting ad sizes will cut campaign costs, but affect campaign effectiveness. Likewise, maintaining ad size but reducing frequency leads to similar outcomes.

In challenging times, cost-cutting is pragmatic. Yet, maintaining activity—preferably exceeding competitors—is paramount.

If you find this insight useful, embrace it!

*Drayton Bird’s book, Common Sense Direct Marketing, first introduced me to this research – updated to now include digital, it’s a must-read for today’s marketers, especially those who recognize that effectiveness transcends mere clicks!”